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Broncos' Woodyard leads by example

MLB has worked his way up the ranks

By Joan Niesen The Denver Post

Posted:
09/27/2013 11:04:54 PM MDT

Updated:
09/27/2013 11:04:58 PM MDT

ENGLEWOOD -- Eighty-eight years ago, New York Yankees dugout. First baseman Wally Pipp sat out his team's baseball game because of a headache. Lou Gehrig replaced him in the lineup and Pipp never regained his starting job.

What does this have to do with the Broncos?

Everything, according to Wesley Woodyard. Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has told his players the tale many a time, Woodyard said with a smile. The linebacker laughs: Wally Pipp and the next man up.

Five years ago, as an undrafted rookie, Woodyard was the next man up, a fill-in starter for injured veteran D.J. Williams. When Williams was suspended by the NFL in 2012, it was Woodyard who filled in again, and he became the first player in Broncos history to have 50 tackles along with multiple sacks (three) and interceptions (two) in the season's first eight games. Williams was released in March.

The point, of course, is not to steal a teammate's job or doom a career. Woodyard mentions Pipp because the next man up -- and what he might become -- is the tenet that has guided the Broncos' defensive unit this season, with the sixth-year captain at the forefront. How else can the defense look at the temporary losses of its aging star, cornerback Champ Bailey, and best player, linebacker Von Miller, without so much as blinking an eye?

"That next-man mentality is so important in this league, and especially on our team," Woodyard said. "That helps everybody jell and bond together, when we get a guy stepping in that doesn't get a chance to play that much, and he comes in, and now he's playing like a starter.

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It's good to see that happen throughout our defense."

Even if Miller were playing, Woodyard would still be the veteran among the Denver linebackers, the player who became a captain before many fans even knew who he was. People ask him how he earned such a designation as a minor player at the beginning of his career, and he's yet to find an explanation beyondthe simple fact that that's just who he is.

"My teammates respect me, and they respect everything I say," Woodyard said. "You know, it goes hand in hand, being yourself and just always staying on top of your own game."

Second-year linebacker Danny Trevathan, who's getting big playing time as a result of Miller's suspension, attended Kentucky, also Woodyard's alma mater. The two never overlapped, but Trevathan said from the minute he put on a Wildcats uniform, he was compared to the older player, Woodyard's name "ringing all around" him.

When he arrived in Denver, Trevathan wasn't sure what to expect from the man he'd heard so much about, but he said Woodyard has become like a brother to him.

"It's just fun to be out there playing with that guy, to see the way he carries himself on the field," Trevathan said. "It's just a fun atmosphere out there, flying around."

Woodyard's brand of play -- speed, dedication, humility -- has come to define a group of players who could just as easily have been branded the lesser replacements for a suspended star. In the Broncos' 3-0 start, Woodyard already has 13 tackles, 12 assists and one sack, and his leadership by example is paying off. That said, he still sees room for improvement.

"I'll say it: I'm not satisfied, and my teammates aren't satisfied with our play, even though we've been doing some good things," Woodyard said. "We've got to continue to keep that success going throughout the four quarters."

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